The Flock is a Family
by Moral Intensity
Summary: Max decides to move the Flock in with her mom after their submarine adventure. But when the past starts catching up with them, what happens to the Flock? Major OOC, don't read if you can't handle a good story.
1. Thinking, thinking, thinking

Hey guys! I am sooooo super duper excited to start this fanfic! I love Maximum Ride, and have been waiting forever to get a plot for what you are about to read. But I need your help! I set up a poll on my profile and I would really like it if you voted!!!!!!!

So, enjoy the fic! Here is something you need to know: this fic is based off of some of my personal experiences (vacations, school days, etc.) but it just happens to the flock instead.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't own Maximum Ride, okay?!

~*~*~*

Max POV

Sitting on the window seat in my room, eating chips with a bowl of salsa, I began to think about my life. Well, my life _so far._

If you have read the previous books about my oh-so-thrilling life, then you will know that I recently survived a submarine adventure with the flock to save my mother's life. And let me tell ya, it was horrifying! But that's not why I'm telling you this.

I am telling you this because it was the beginning of _this_ story. After that trip, I decided that it was time to settle down. I wanted to just live without all the problems I used to have.

So, that is why I am sitting here in my very own room. I am living with my mother, Dr. Martinez, and my sister, Ella.

And the flock of course!!

My mom owns a cute little cottage in the middle of this forest. Well, it's not nearly big enough for the flock and me, so she designed a very awesome three-story home to be put right next to it. She hired some other dude to construct the house, in case you were wondering.

My room is on the second floor, along with Fang and Nudge's rooms. Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, and Total all enjoy life on the top of the food chain. But I don't mind.

Like I was saying, my room is on the second floor with a window facing the ocean and the sunset. So, from about 4:00 p.m. till dark, I enjoy a masterpiece of yellow, orange, red, and the rare purple. It can be very romantic . . . _especially_ when me and Fang are 'hanging out'.

Yes, I know, you're probably wondering if things worked out between me and Fang. Even if you won't admit that's what you're thinking, I know you are. Anyways, things between us are perfect! Well, as perfect as it can get between two bird kids.

Since we all moved here with mom and Ella, the flock and I had made the decision to be linked in family bonds. So my mom discussed with the government (who _thought _they 'owned' us and were, therefore, 'in charge' of us) about getting some papers and documents that we would all sign, and WAM!! we would be official family members.

The original plan was to just make us siblings and be through with it. But, if you remember, things between me and Fang are as perfect as can be. We obviously cannot be bro and sis if we have feelings for one another. So . . . we have to get _married._

That's right, married.

So, basically, this is what will happen: mom will adopt all of us, me, Angel, and Gazzy will sign as brother and sisters, and the same will go with Fang, Iggy, and Nudge. Then, technically, after the wedding (yeah, I'm looking forward to _that_) we would all be siblings, BFF's, however you wanna put it.

But enough thinking. Let's get back to reality.

I was sitting on my window seat, chowing down on some chips that I was dunking in salsa, when Iggy waltzed into the room.

"You 'Mommy' says that dinner's ready," he said. He was looking very suspicious. "Don't want to be late, do you?"

I glared at him and slapped the lid onto the salsa. Leaving the food by the window, I lead the way down the flight of stairs and to the door. Iggy's fingertips brushed up against the hem of my shirt, but even then he jumped back in surprise when I spun around and got in his face.

"What's going on, Ig?" I demanded. "Cause you obviously know what's going on."

Iggy's sightless eyes stared into mine. He was already like a brother to me, and he knew all of my secrets. Even the ones about Fang. That was why I was so onto him; he knew how I would feel about whatever was going to happen, and it was probably going to be about Fang.

Still not answering, Iggy snatched my shirt hem again and motioned to the door. I hissed behind my teeth and swung back the door. A refreshing breeze swept my hair back and carried the smell of Mexican food across the lawn from the main house (mom's house). Suddenly, I was starving!

Leaving Iggy behind me, I dashed toward the source of the smell and nearly busted the front door of the main house down. Despite all of the months I've lie d here, the smell of good food just being set on the table never got old.

A platter of enchiladas was set in the middle of the huge dining room table, with a bowl of pineapple to the right of it and a tall pitcher of lemonade to the left. Other plates of small quesadillas and tacos were also set up in easy-to-reach places for every seat.

I took my usual spot in the middle seat closest to the living room. Fang sat next to me, along with Angel on my other side. Being the first one at the table, I was forced to wait.

Iggy came in, having miraculously finding his way inside. He was greeted with a hearty kiss from Ella. The two were a couple now and sat down directly across from me.

Angel and Gazzy came thundering in next with red faces after flying around outside. "Max!" Angel exclaimed when she saw me. " If I were you, I would make yourself a plate and get out of here!"

I chuckled nervously and stared at Iggy from the corner of my eye. He felt the stare and turned to busy himself by talking to Ella.

_Angel, sweetie,_ I thought._ If this is important, don't say it out loud._

Fang sauntered in then and kissed my head before sinking into the seat next to me. My eyes were glued on Angel, waiting for a response.

_Uh, oh._ _Here she comes! _Angel thought back and quickly sat down with Gazzy as my mom came in. She smiled when she saw me and took her place at the head of the table. Nudge ran in last, breathing heavily.

"Sorry I'm late," she huffed. "But I was watching TV, and you'll never guess but Zac Efron is hanging out with Ashley Tisdale now! I mean, what happened to Vanessa? And then after that, the super hot host of the teen news or whatever started talking about New Moon and I _had_ to see what they said about Taylor Lautner, so . . . yeah. That's why I'm late." And she fell into the final empty spot.

"And the Nudge Channel will be right back," my mom joked and nodded, signaling us to dig in.

Fang lunged for some tacos, which he piled onto his plate. Ella beamed as Iggy dished up some fruit for her. Gazzy jumped up and made his way to the kitchen to get God-knows-what to have with his meal. Nudge was reading a text on her Blackberry (we all got one, since mom had a _very_ good salary) while reaching for some enchiladas, and Angel patiently waited for the crowd to cease.

I, however, was eyeing my mom, waiting for whatever news Iggy was hanging over me and Angel tried to warn me about.

_Angel_, I thought. _Now can you tell me what's going on?_

I saw her faintly shake her head, her lips mashed together and her brow furrowed. Finally, the moment I was waiting for happened:

"Everyone," my mom said. "If you'll wait just a moment, I have something to say."

Iggy smirked at me.

~*~*~*

Please Review!! They make me smile. Let me know what you think! And please do my poll.

Luv,

JB!


	2. The News

I cannot believe how many reviews I have already gotten on my very first Maximum Ride fic!! Because of the popular demand on this story, I am updating today; as in, the day after I first 'published' the story.

This chapter is dedicated to: butyousaidforeverandalways

Orangeduck23

number1maxfan

Nighthawk21

All-Smiles- .'D

Strawberry Shortcake123

.

Faxlover125

MaxandFang101

You guys rock my socks! Cookies for all! With sprinkles!! Ok, so if you haven't done my poll on my profile, then I really need you to do it. Your comments in the reviews are much noted and have helped me to decide 'the news' from Dr. M.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own MR (sob sob sob!!) but I do own _this _story! And I own what happens…

Okay! On with the story! Mwah ha ha.

~*~*~*

Fang POV **(You all know that he doesn't say much [duh!] so don't be surprised if his POV sounds different from what I wrote in the first chapter.)**

Everybody looked up from their food. Iggy almost dropped his newly-poured glass of lemonade, but not because he was shocked . . . because he was _laughing_. It was then I noticed that Max looked furious. It was excruciating that I couldn't save her the pain. Not that I knew what pain it was.

"You all know about the upcoming marriage . . ." Dr. Martinez began. She was interrupted Gazzy coughing. He was holding back a chuckle. " . . . and the date has been set."

Max reached over and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back reassuringly. We both knew that this wasn't the real news.

"But this isn't what I've wanted to say," she confirmed our thinking. "I've sent out invites to the big event, and I've decided that one certain person should come. He, or she, has been with you" (looking over towards me and Max.) "in one of the toughest times you've been through. And he, or she, needs to stay with us until the wedding."

I was confused why she wouldn't give us the gender of the person staying with us. Wow. Long sentence.

Dr. Martinez stood up and walked to the door. "And so, please welcome . . . " she threw it back and in came the 'guest'. " . . . Lissa!"

Max screamed. Literally, she squeezed a high-pitched whine through her lips and fell out of her chair. That was when I finally understood what Doc was trying to say:

First off, she wasn't looking at Max and I. Dr. M had just been looking at me when she was talking about "being with us in one of the toughest times we've been through." She was right; Lissa _had_ helped me through a tough time.

Going to that school while staying with Anne made me antsy. Lissa made me feel comfortable. It wasn't that I had loved her. I had loved Max, but didn't want to tell myself that. I had to pretend that I had loved Lissa so she would stay around.

I didn't understand, and I still don't. But Lissa was a drug. A drug that made me feel better when I had a dose. So it did not surprise me (though it might surprise you) that I was very relieved Lissa had showed up.

"Nikki!" Lissa squealed. She ran over and lunged onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. I was stuck cradling her. Not that _I_ minded, but Max did. She looked up at me from the floor with an open mouth.

I hugged Lissa back. "Good to see ya," I whispered. "I missed you."

Well. Max definitely heard that. She gasped and stormed toward the Flock's house. I tried to run after her. But I was trapped by Lissa. The drug. But this time, I had an overdose.

~*~*~*

Max POV

I was furious.

How could Fang do this to me?! I mean, we are getting freaking _married!_ And here he is, cuddling with evil old Lissa, with the evil red hair and the evil piercing eyes and the evil . . . Lissaness. This was so not fair!

I stormed out of the Main House towards home, thinking how evil Fang was . . . just like Lissa. I didn't even eat anything and he has to go and ruin my appetite!

I flew up the first flight of stairs (not _flew_ literally, with wings, but . . . you know what I mean!) and went into my room. It's the size of a large master bedroom, with a private bathroom and huge walk in closet. Everything is white: white bed sheets, white bookcases, white throw pillows scattered on the floor for comfort. The only color is pictures, decorative pieces, and my purple walls.

I headed for the shelves on the wall farthest from the window seat. My bag of chips and salsa were still there, but I was no longer interested in them. Like I said, I lost my appetite. The shelves were drilled onto the wall. The top shelf had a jewelry box and a photo.

I took the frame containing the picture from its place and looked at the faces in it. Me and Fang. He was looking at me with a rare smile and I was laughing, my eyes closed, my face in the opposite direction of his. We were in total bliss; him making me laugh, me just giggling away.

I then took down the jewelry box. The one that _he_ gave to me. I must admit, it was absolutely beautiful, impossible to describe. I tossed the two items onto my bed and ripped a drawer open on my--you guessed it--white desk. A pad of paper was found, then a pen in another drawer.

I scrawled a message on one white sheet and tore it off of the pad. I gathered everything and made my way to Fang's room. His was totally opposite from mine, black, of course, but that wasn't why it was so different from my room. Not a single picture or vase of flowers (not that you _would_ find flowers in here, but you get the point) could be found. The room was just empty.

I placed the photo, jewelry box, and note on Fang's bed and ran to the very top floor. I dashed to the end of the long hall that had all the other kids' bedrooms attached. A window was at the very end of this hall and I threw it open. I climbed up on the sill and jumped, snapping out my powerful wings. I flew towards the sunset that would show in my own window.

I managed to catch a final glimpse of Fang tripping for our home. Tripping because Lissa was holding onto his hand, pulling him back. I scoffed and caught an air current up and away.

I didn't plan on coming back.

~*~*~*

Hope this met your expectations! You read, now please review! I need at least 10 reviews and 30 hits if you want me to update before Friday/Saturday!! More cookies if you tell your friends about this story!

Before you leave, pretty please with hot fudge do my poll!! Thank you.

Luv,

JB!


	3. Realization

Okay, guys, I didn't get the 10 reviews I asked for (cry cry cry) BUT I do have a grand total of . . . 143 HITS!!! I am so happy!

This chapter is dedicated to: Orangeduck23

butyousaidforeverandalways

123-Cat-Cat-321

LIZIES

Thank you so much! Okay, I have some questions to answer, brought to you by Orangeduck 23:

What does Lissa have to do with the wedding? Well, if you recall, Doc invited Lissa to the wedding because she was there for Fang through a tough time with Anne (go back and read it!).

Why does it seem like Fang doesn't really love Max? Fang is in love with Max, people! DUH! But he, like Max, is stressed out over the wedding and the reason he dated Lissa in the first place is because after that first kiss, he realized she relieved his stress. So, he pretends he loves her to keep Lissa around.

Speaking of Lissa . . . should I kill her? Or, better said, should I have _Fang_ kill her? Do the poll if you want her to! Here are the results so far: No One!!!~55% Jeb~22% Fang~11% Total~11% No votes for Max, Angel, Nudge, Iggy, Gasman, Dr. Martinez OR Lissa!!! Make your voice heard and VOTE!!!!

Disclaimer: I swear that Maximum Ride is not mine, but The F is a F is all mine. Kapeesh?

~*~*~*

Lissa POV

I pulled on Nick's hand, which was, like, totally impossible against his super strongness. OMG, he is sooo buff! **(Does this sound like Lissa so far? Let me know please!)**

"Nikki, come on! Max is just surprised I'm here and, like, just wants to get dressed up or something. I say we go and catch up! I haven't seen you in, like, _forever!_" I said. But I did NOT whine, okay?

Still Nick kept trudging forward toward the big house next to the little cottage. I guessed this cool house was where Nick lived with his brothers and sisters. They were adopted, right?

I gave his arm a yank, and he stumbled a little. I giggled and did it again. This was totally hilarz! **(Lingo for hilarious, for those of you who do not know)**.

After Max had sped out of Miss. Martinez's home, Nick had dropped me from our hug and ran to the window, looking out. We both saw his sister practically kick down the door to the other house and noticed lights turned on in some rooms as she went into them. Nick's face had, like, looked really chill, but he was _sooo_ not!

"Nikki," I had reassured him. "It's okay! She's fine. I say that we totally chow! I am starving from that plane ride here, so let's eat!" I remember how—what's his name?—whatever, the little boy stared at me and mumbled something like, "It's another Nudge channel!" and everyone had snickered, except for the tan girl on her cell phone.

After the kid said that, Fang had, like, flown away from my side for the exit. I had tried to stop him, as I am now, but he wouldn't listen and began towards the big house. So now, here I am. Trying to stop him from racing after his sister, which would be, like, stupid.

About midway through the yard, Nick stops. I let go of his arm and he turns toward me, towering over my head.

"Lissa, do you know why you're here?" he demanded in a dark voice.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. "Miss. Martinez—I mean, your mom—is getting married . . . right?" The look in his eyes made me reconsider.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and whispered, with his eyes closed, "No, Lissa. Max and I are getting married. She's not my sister—none of the kids are my siblings. Max and I love each other. So, we have to get married in order to be related, and the others will be our family, too. We want to be connected by _family_, Lissa. We never have been before."

I stared at him. Then I slowly backed away. "Are you . . . are you committing _incest_, Nick?" I murmured.

He sighed, but it sounded more like a growl. Without another word, he strode for the big house; he went inside.

I was, like, totally dumbstruck!

~*~*~*

Fang POV

"MAX!" I yelled. "MAX! Get down here! I need to talk to you!"

I recited the direction I was going in my head: _Up the first flight of stairs, down the hall, second door on the left: Max's room._

I carefully went through the doorway. "Max. I'm sorry. There's nothing going on between . . ."

She wasn't there. But she had to be. She had to! This was her room! I was in a fury, but I wasn't mad at Max. I was mad I let her go.

I try the room next to hers: Nudge's. I go right on in, but don't bother looking around. Nudge's room really has no color palette. She wanted white walls. A bed with polka dot bedspread. Furry carpets covering up the nice hardwood floors. And, the finishing touch, clothes_ everywhere._

Jeans spilled from the bookcase in one corner. T shirts were laid un-neatly on her bed. And her closet . . . I don't even bother going in there. On my way out of the demolition zone, I notice a row of shopping bags against the wall opposite the bed. My God.

I held my breath as I entered the last place she would most likely be. I went into my room. Not a single sight of her.

Darkness swirled around me, but it wasn't the colors in my bedroom. I felt empty. Where was Max? I loved her, and she knew that. Right? I realized what it must've looked like to her, Lissa hugging me. And me hugging her back. But I felt comfortable around Lissa, she was my consoler!

I was about to sink to my knees, defeated, when I noticed some strange color on my bed. I had to look away when I noticed what it was: The jewelry box. I gave it to Max after we moved here. I opened it. I didn't expect jewelry to be in it, but maybe something. I found a piece of old candy, a pocket photo of our Flock, and a small index card with this quote:

"The reason **birds** can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings"

How perfect that was. The Flock has faith, faith for a good future. Faith in each other. Faith that tomorrow will bring love, care, and so on. I placed the card carefully back in the box. That's when I saw the piece of paper.

With a shaky hand, I picked it up. It was folded, a torn piece from Max's pad. The pad of paper had, "Life sucks, so hope this note helps," written on every sheet. I remember when Max bought it.

We were at a strip mall, with a super market, antique shop, and a store full of junk next to one another. We had strolled around a bit and found a big rack full of these paper pads. They all had stuff written on top, so we each picked one out. Mine said, in thick writing, "LIVE FREE." I thought it suited us well.

I looked over the note Max had written to me, but it didn't look like a note. It appeared to be a song. Well, just the first verse. My heart leapt when I realized it was too suckish to be a real musicians' work, so it had to be Max's:

You broke my heart  
Right from the start  
I thought we would go  
To the ends of the Earth

You went back for the girl  
Who ripped you up  
Before

I no longer dream  
of our happily  
Ever after

Just of HER  
Bein' gone!

How could you  
How could you  
How could you do this to me?

No title, just this little bit. But I still didn't have an answer: where was Max?

Suddenly, it hit me. Right in the face. No, more like in the gut.

I barely heard the pounding of feet racing down the hall. I barely heard Iggy say, "Dude! What the hell happened?" **(Sorry for the language, but I wanted it to sound like Iggy. Just a desperate writer, I guess.)** I didn't even notice Nudge shaking my shoulders, her phone not in sight. That's a shock.

Max, "no longer dreamed/of our happily/ever after," but she did dream of, "Just of HER/Bein' gone!" I stared straight forward when I realized: since Lissa wouldn't leave, _Max will._

The Flock stopped screaming at me when they noticed how stiff I was. I wasn't still, like usual, but stiff.

They knew.

~*~*~*

Hope you enjoyed! You read, now review! Go on, puppy, press the button! GOOD DOG! Here's a cookie! Do not (!!!!!!) forget to do my poll! I absolutely need you to! And I already have the storyline for chapters 4-6, but if you're a Fang lova', you're not gonna like it. Sorry.

Luv,

JB!

P.S. I wrote that little song bit!


	4. Planning and a Hard Truth

I'm not getting as much feedback as I really want to have. I had 61 hits on my third chapter, so that's pretty good. If you like this fic, you better review to let me know!!! Go ahead, tell me what you absolutely _hate_ about what I write. I don't care how much you like this fic, but YOU GOTTA REVIEW TO SPEAK YOUR MIND!! Since we're on the subject of speaking our minds, then you have _got_ to do my poll!!! I mean, only 9 people have done this poll!! Thanks to those who did it, but I need more people to answer my poll question!!! Please?

The results _so far_ (note the waiting tone of my voice . . . I mean, keyboard):

No One!!!50%  
Jeb16%  
Lissa16%  
Fang8%  
Total8%

Thanks to those who actually reviewed, this chapter is dedicated to:

butyousaidforeverandalways  
Orangeduck23  
Bite-me-grr  
Shadowed Nightwings  
Mute:)  
The ISIMS  
Glitterwave

Disclaimer: Duh, I don't own Maximum Ride. So stop giving me trash about it, Mr. Rules-and-Regulations.

~*~*~*

Fang POV

A silence clung to the air. Every Flock member stood as stiff as me. My mind already knew what we would have to do. We would have to find Max.

I immediately assumed leadership position. I spread out my legs and crossed my arms. Everyone's attention turned to me. Only Iggy could "look" me right in the eye. Nudge's glance kept shooting back to her cell phone screen. I saw it blinked with five new messages.

"Okay," I said. My voice was unsteady. I was still mad at myself. "I think the only thing we can do is find Max. If you have other suggestions, bring them forward."

I swept my eyes over each face. Still, not a movement, not a twitch. Finally, Angel stepped from the protective ring of our family.

"I propose we wait for her to come back," she whispered. "She always does! R . . . right? She loves us, right?"

I quickly leaned in to hug little Angel. I felt the wings on her back loosely tucked in. Angel hugged me back. I felt her shudder and pulled her closer. Even 7-year-olds can't keep in emotions, and she burst into tears.

Things began happening very fast then. Iggy grabbed Max's note and jewelry box with ease. Nudge ran over to the window to look for any sight of Max. She was reading text messages as she went. Gazzy flung his arm over his Angel's shoulder. The two discussed things through mind. I just kind of stood there, not very leader-ly.

_Fang, I can catch some of Max's thoughts._ Angel stared at me as she sent me messages. _She's mad. Really mad, but she's kind of doubting herself. I don't think she wants to come back._

I grumbled in frustration. _Tell her she has to, _I thought to her. Angel sat down on the ground. She rubbed her temples in concentration.

Ella and Lissa came up to join us. I regretted ever having anything to do with Lissa. Now everything was all bad.

Ella looked pitiful; Lissa just looked rejected. I bet my face mirrored hers. They both avoided me, but I heard Ella speak to Iggy.

"Ig, sweetie," she murmured. "How bad is it? It's really bad, isn't it?"

Iggy turned away. Ella gasped, realizing, and hugged Iggy. He buried his face in her soft black hair. His shoulders jerked up and down as he cried.

I don't know why I didn't cry. I guess it hadn't totally sunk in yet, the news. I knew I had to snap out of it. It was going to be hard if we couldn't find Max. But all I could think was, _No wedding, no family, no happiness. Nothing._

Angel's head popped up when she read that in my head. She slowly shook her head is digust.

_We have to wait!_ She hissed through telepathy. _It's no use searching! She'll get frustrated that we won't leave her alone, and she will fly farther away._

That was when Angel put images in my mind. Clear blue sky. The whistle of wind echoed in my ears. The picture focused on a cliff precipice. Feet came into view, pressing against the rocky surface. A soft thud as the thinker landed.

These were Max's thoughts!

"Listen up everyone!" I hollered. I had everyone's undivided attention. "It's best if we split into groups. We take shifts, staying here and fl . . . searching around the area for Max." I too-soon remembered Lissa was in the room. No mention of flying.

"Me, Nudge, and Gazzy will be one group. Angel and Iggy are another. You're only two, but Angel's head will make up for the third person."

Lissa slowly raised her hand. Ah, a question.

"Yes, Lissa?" I asked. Iggy chuckled. Ella elbowed him.

Lissa bit her lip and took a deep breath. "How about . . . well, what about Nudge going with, um, Amy and . . . the other guy. I could be with you." Her face lit up.

I shook my head. No need for words. The decision was final. The groups decided.

Angel glared at me furiously. She wanted us to wait.

But I couldn't wait on love.

~*~*~*

Max POV

I could NOT do this!

Leave my flock? Was I a total crazy?! The little ones would need me, and Iggy couldn't pick on anyone else like he picks on me. Nudge needs a girlfriend around her age to hang out with. And Ella . . . she was my sister! I haven't been with her for the first 14 years of my life!

Yeah, I've been thinking these things ever since I left. Right now I was resting on the top of this huge mountain edge, feeling more like a goat than a bird. I was trying to ignore the thoughts Angel was shooting to me: Fang's cold, hard face, Iggy slumped over Ella, crying, and Gazzy un-moving.

I just couldn't go back, not after seeing Lissa with Fang. I couldn't believe I let myself believe that Fang and I were meant to be. Yeah, right. Obviously Lissa was crazy for him and Fang liked her, too. I didn't have to get in their way. I'll just fly around, try a couple states. Maybe grab some potatoes in Idaho and stop by Georgia for peaches and I'll be set for Moscow. Oh, don't forget crabs in Maryland!

Yeah. I can do that. Just coast my life away and enjoy myself. I still had the credit card from when I found it in New York, so I could buy some foreign foods when I flew over. Send Iggy a French girl or two (world shipping HAD to be expensive, right) and eat a bunch of famous Swiss chocolate. Man, I could live the life!

But I knew too well that life _sucks_. What if I ran into another School? Very possible, very. What if another robot was created to destroy me? I would be all alone without my Flock. I could be taken over very easily, changed to one of _them._

"Ugh!" I screamed aloud. The noise bounced back to me from the opposite cliff wall. I chuckled and said, "I hate this!" I had great satisfaction from echoing.

I should've figured by now that Angel would know about my plan. Bottom line: I wasn't going back. Not to see Lissa snuggling Fang and Fang cuddling Lissa. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction, no sir! But as I laid down on the gray ground, the sun gone from the horizon, I still winced when Angel though-whispered to me:

_Good night, Max. We'll miss you. Sorry, I tried. Everyone wants to come find you. No one will listen to me! So, if I were you, fly as far away as possible. They're only looking in the forests._

I thanked Angel for respecting my wishes. I had thought to her that I didn't want to be found, I wanted to be free.

Day 1 of escapism.

~*~*~*

Review now! Push the bottom! Only takes a second! I will accept strange reviews, from strange people! Be anonymous if you want! JUST REIVEW!!!!!!!

Luv,

JB!


	5. Not a Family At All

Hey readers! I just want to let you know, I am extremely happy with all the feedback I have been receiving!!! You guys absolutely ROCK!!! There's not much to say now, except to do my poll if you want to speak out about who should die in this fanfic. Here are the results so far:

No One!!!50%  
Lissa21%  
Jeb14%  
Fang7%  
Total7%

If you don't agree with these results, then you better do the poll!!!

This chapter is dedicated to the following:

BOOKNERD101  
butyousaidforeverandalways  
Weelich  
Nighthawk21  
bubbly234  
number1maxfan  
Decode415  
21reeree21

Thanks you guys! So, I originally had this chapter and a few others planned out, but I think I'll do something different . . . just kidding!!! Ha ha, see what happens!

Disclaimer: JP owns Maximum Ride, but oh boy, do I own THIS story!! HA HA HA!!! I feel evil for what I am about to do . . .

~*~*~*

_**One month later . . . **_

Fang POV

I woke up with a start from yet another nightmare. Every night, it was the same thing: flying desperately through a thick curtain of green, looking for any sign of Max. There, I see her! As I glide in closer, calling to her, Max turns to me with a gorgeous smile. She reaches out to me . . . then is suddenly sucked away from me, spiraling farther and farther into the distance. Then she falls. I always feel the shudder of the impulse when she hits the ground, and that's when I wake up.

I breath heavily and swing my legs over the side of the bed. As a usual morning routine now, I shakily walk towards the window. I cling to the frame and look out: nothing. Max never showed up in the sky above the house. Max never is seen down in the lawn, wrestling Gazzy to the ground.

Holding back tears – yes, actual tears – I throw open my curtains to let in some light. Basking in the sun, I manage a soft smile and head for my closet to get dressed for the day.

Ever since Max left, things have been very different. The Flock hasn't been as happy as we used to be. But that hasn't been the only thing that has changed about us. Ella has locked herself up in her room, never coming out. Iggy has to bring her meals and he usually comes out with the most awful face you could imagine. Nudge lays curled up on the couch most of the time, not looking at anything or anybody.

Gazzy is a really bad case, maybe the worst. He has _stopped eating._ Angel encourages him to nibble on a few things, but he mainly just munches on a sandwich in the morning and that's about it.

But the Flock member that is really worrying me is Angel. She's constantly busy, always going in and out of Max's empty, dusty room. When she's not running around, she's sitting in a corner and rubbing her temples. She can sit like that for an hour straight! Occasionally, she'll send me some thoughts and images from Max's mind. The last picture showed that Max was somewhere around Tennessee or Kentucky.

But, despite all of these changes, I am the one who has changed the most . . .

A large bag is slumped over in a corner of my closet. In it is all of my old black clothes, including the boxers and sneakers and my black watch. Hanging up now are my brand new white clothes. Yes, they are all white.

I grab a collared shirt and put it on, top two buttons left undone. Then I pull out some off-white slacks and slip those on, too. These days I go barefoot, no shoes required at all. This was usual attire: just a shirt and pants. No one expected more of me any longer. I turned to my tall dresser, a new dark wood one. I sigh contentedly as my feet sink into the new white shag rug.

In the top drawer of my dresser is nothing but my dog tag. I was wearing it the day that Max took off. I also had kept Max's owl ring. I guess it had slid off of her fingers before she jumped out of the upstairs window, because Angel found it in that area. I wear it every day, the only reminder I allow myself to have of her.

I glide into the hallways and float downstairs, avoiding the pictures of our Flock on the wall. Max was in all of them.

"Good morning, Nudge," I say lightly to the now pale girl on the couch. She was wearing a simple tank top and p.j. pants. In fact, that was really all anyone wore around here. Dr. Martinez was the only one who dressed appropriately, the only one who ventured out to her work place or the grocery store.

Nudge looked at me with sad doe eyes. "Fang," she whispered. I could barely hear her, even with my avian ears.

"Yes baby?" I whisper back, kneeling down beside her.

"I feel . . . dead," she groaned, and dropped her head down on the pillow. I laugh softly and stroke her hair.

"Don't we all?" I murmur, and get up to continue my rounds.

First, I find Gazzy slumped over the stair rail, weak with hunger. I help him to the kitchen and force a plate of fruits into his eyesight. He immediately devoured it all. Next, I rub Angel's back as she cries from her constant headaches. I tell her to stop listening for Max, put she pushes me away and runs up two flights of stairs. I hear her door slam.

Last, I trudge over to the Main House to find Ella and Ig. I wave goodbye as "mom" pulls down the dirt road in her Camri for work.

Inside the house is quiet. Classical music is playing on the stereo system in the living room, and I hear crying down the hall. I quietly run to the bedroom door.

I hear whimpering and Iggy saying, "Shhh. Calm down." I take a few steps back as he emerges into the hall. My eyes widen as I take in the bloody knife in his hand.

"Fang," he moans. "She was cutting herself. What am I supposed to do?"

I begin to run. Run away from Iggy, running out of the house, running into the forests. I realize I was hiding something from myself.

I couldn't live without Max.

~*~*~*

Oooooooooh! Am I evil or what? Let me know by REVIEWING! REVIEWING! And . . . REVIEWING!

Luv,

JB!


	6. Could Be Better

I am so sorry guys for not updating! I was grounded for a while, so I didn't get a chance to update! I don't want to take the time to list all the people who this chapter is dedicated to, but I did get a grand total of 11 reviews for the fifth chapter of The F is a F! YAY! So, IDK if any of you reading now have read my one shot, which has a name I completely forget. Anyways, I commented on there that the poll you all did (DO MY POLL! I NEED YOU TOO!!!! IT MAKES ME ECSTATIC!!) would change the outcome of the story. Not true, I changed my mind! The poll will be used on this story, so from now on I won't tell you the results every week so you won't get an idea of who dies! That's right, DIES!

Disclaimer: MR is not mine, but since this story is, I will make the perfect outcome (in my eyes) no matter how awful it is! It won't be like all the other fics where Max and Fang get together and FAX and all that.

~*~*~*

Angel POV

_Max, I don't think I can hold back any longer!_

_Come one, sweetie, I need to get away from the Flock for a while. Fang is with Lissa, Ella with Iggy, all's well that ends well! I have no one, so let me live my dream of travel. I don't want a 7-year-old to hold me back._

_Max, I need to come find you. Now. _Mental wall.

I knew that Max's dream was not to travel around the world or whatever. I saw her dreams, and usually they all had Fang or me or other Flock members. I remember one that she had where she and Fang were making out on the beach (now THAT was funny. I held it against her till Max bought me a new bike with her allowance.) and laughing and all. Then Sam walked in out of nowhere and Max forgot about Fang, totally going for Sam. Then Lissa swirled up from the sand and cuddled up to Fang. Now I wonder if Max sees the future and if Sam will pop in soon.

It's mid afternoon, exactly 34 days since Max left. The sun was sparkling in the lower sky. I was resting in Max's room, toying with my Blackberry. Me and Nudge were texting each other, even though her butt was still glued to the sofa and she could've easily come up to chat to me face-to-face. I lay my head back and sigh deeply.

See, Max kept telling me telepathically that she wanted stay away from us and get as far across the world as possible. I kept secretly wishing she would keep on flying and flying, then eventually circle the globe right back home. I guess Max heard that once, and now she makes a point to bunk in a hotel every night and make a plan for the next day.

Now things kept getting worse. Fang had lost control three days ago and had run into the deep woods, not emerging until the following morning. I knew he had gone, and his thoughts were very vivid. They all seemed very . . . natural. All he thought about was trees and caves and Tarzan and barbarians and that sort of thing. I think he might have tried eating a raw animal, but it probably didn't turn out well. After Max left, Fang had turned into a real softie. Hence all the white clothes.

In fact, Fang had really put himself into God and such. Sometimes he would be at the computer all day, looking up all types of religious holidays of all religions. In a month, he had found at least five and celebrated them all. He said to me once he wore all the light clothes because that's what he believed God wore in heaven or wherever. I wasn't as into this as he was.

Anyways, Fang had come out of the forest with muddy clothes and his hair mangled with leaves. A long stick was strapped onto his back with a green vine holding it up. His eyes were sad, despite with crazy appearance, so it showed that he was pretty disappointed in himself. Now he mainly rested in bed and wrote letters that he would rip up with his tears splattered on them and scatter them to the winds. He said they were carried to Max. I doubted it.

_Buzzz. Buzzzz._

My phone vibrated against my hip, signaling another message from Nudge. I picked it up and clicked to read.

**Need 2 talk 2 U. Come down ASAP.**

I sighed and yanked Max's curtains together and fixed the pillows and sheets. I trampled down the stairs to see Nudge actually standing at the front door, wearing a purple tank, jean jacket, and some white skinnies. Rings and necklaces and bangles covered much of her showing skin. Her strappy sandals looked brand new, too.

"Mom wanted me to get out of the house," she said. "Can we . . . um . . . fly?"

I was stunned. No one dared to fly, because that was how Max had gotten away. Despite this, I nodded, and took Nudge's hand. Together we leapt off of the front steps and soared high overhead. Fang must've noticed our shadows stretched on his floor, growing smaller from the shrinking sun, because he was soon dangling out of his window. He waved and smiled, hollering at us to wait. He jumped off the sill.

We were soon joined by an overjoyed Gazzy, who was shrinking in weight, but still seemed almost his own self again. Soon Iggy coasted up, carrying Ella, who was carrying Total in her scraped up arms. They were cuts from her emo stage, which she had been going through for awhile. They were now pink scabs, but I noticed some up near her shoulders that were blood red. I guess after awhile she ran out of room on her wrists and continued cutting up higher.

Gazzy tilted his wings to angle himself next to Iggy and assisted him carry Ella. Each taking a leg, Ella laughed and cackled upside down, Total screaming, "Let me down! There have already been skydiving dogs! I am better showing off my breed on the ground!"

This started another roll of giggles, and it kept the Flock soaring around until well around dinner time. That night, Gazzy ate, Ella sat with us instead of in her room, and Nudge was back being glued to her Blackberry.

I had a bad feeling that this happiness wouldn't last. I knew we would have to go out and find Max, because she didn't plan on coming back. I wouldn't tell the Flock this.

Yet.

~*~*~*

Thanks for reading! Please, pretty please, review this chapter. While you're at it, do my poll, too! I will love you forever if you do both!

Luv,

JB!


	7. Gone So Far, Got So Far to Go

Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading! My followers rock. I love you!

So, this chapter is for ya'll as an early Valentine's Day present. And don't worry; I'll make it plenty good. I know, I know, I haven't been the nicest person to the Flock for taking Max away and changing everything about everyone. But, I know where I'm going with this! Don't worry one bit . . . unless . . . just kidding!

I got 7 reviews! Yay! Thanks for everything, and keep voting on the poll! I know you can do it! You know you want to.

Disclaimer: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson. I am JonasBabe12, not JP. I am also female.

~*~*~*

Max POV

I laid back and sighed blissfully. The soft meadow grass was damp with dew and felt good against my ears. I didn't realize how ticklish I could be.

I was relaxing from a two hour flight over the Atlantic Ocean. I had originally been in the Bahamas, off of Florida, and had stayed there a couple days at a hotel. The beaches were nice, but I was weary to leave my room or anything all by myself. If I got captured or was shot down, Angel would freak out and come and find me, putting the rest of the Flock in danger.

I spread out my arms in the Spanish grass. You heard me! I'm in Spain at the moment, waiting for another word form Angel. Last time we "talked", she told me that everything was getting better and Lissa was holed away in our TV room. I was mainly upset to hear that Fang was still dressing weird and praying all the time. I'm not so sure about God and all that cause we never settled down much near a church in order to learn more about him, but Fang was creeping me out. Even when I couldn't see him at all.

I sat up, the moment in the grass lost, and dug through my backpack I bought at a Spanish shop. It was a lot different from the packs we're used to, but I think that's because my speaking was off and I asked the guy working the counter for a hacky sack. Well, he didn't have any, so I was stuck with a big tie dye thing that was probably made in New Zealand.

A water bottle emerged from the midst of the bag, and I took a swig. Then another. And another. Suddenly, I was uncontrollably hungry. I grumbled, not willing to find some churros or something. My hunger pangs have been going crazy lately, and I think it's because every restaurant I go to, the meals are portioned and make me too sick to the stomach to eat anymore. Foreign food doesn't always settle right.

I took out a tattered notebook I got from a market in Mexico. A pencil from Cuba (never trying that again; almost got caught. NO AMERICANS ALLOWED THERE!). Then a ribbon for a bookmark that fluttered off of a girl's ponytail at an airport I flew over in Chile. About a sixth of the world in a month. Oh, and don't even get me started on Zimbabwe! What a sad place to me, with all the hunger and poverty and sadness . . .

I opened to a fresh page and jotted down, _Spain. No word from Angel. 40 days since left. No place to sleep yet. Hungry. Again._

I tucked the faded blue ribbon into the crease of the page and tossed everything back in the Hippy Sack. Slinging it over my shoulder, I walked briskly through clusters of families, couples strolling along the cobblestoned paths, and guitarists with their cases open for money. One was sweating like a hog, a skinny little guy with a fat guitar with a bouncy string hanging off the end. Only four strings remained to play on, but he was really rocking it. I tossed an American quarter into his case to quizzical looks from the Hispanics around me.

I found a cute café in a corner of a small town and walked in. It was really hot inside, so I yanked off my sweatshirt before I got in line to order. I got a dish of spicy rice with a glass of bubbly soda, which tasted really odd. I found a seat (in the middle of the room, unfortunately) and sat down, sweeping my eyes over the room continuously.

As I dug into my lunch, I caught a glimpse of an old lady with a cane, toddling along amongst the customers yelling out their orders. Her face sagged with a million years of wrinkles, a permanent smile glued onto her face from grinning at her grandchildren or something along those lines.

She must've felt my stare, because the next thing I knew, she was staring right at me with empty eyes. I am being dead serious here! Her eyes were white, filmy like cream swimming on a sea of milk. Her pupils were light gray with years of stories. I quickly diverted her stare, but it didn't stop her from limping over to me. I shivered as she drew closer.

"Oh, mi dulce!" she shrieked as she reached me. "Donde esta tu familia?"

I knew enough from my Spanish classes back at Mom's place with my tutor that this woman had called me her sweet, asking me where my family was. I was reluctant to say anything to her, but old ladies cannot be Erasers or Flyboys; much too frail.

"There," I said, pointing across the street to an inn. Hopefully she would leave me alone. I could always check in later, to be safe, in case she looks around over there for me. I wouldn't have a family to run around with, but I could always lock myself in a room.

The lady shook her head. The noises of the crowd buzzed in my ears and I suddenly felt very drowsy.

"No, no," she murmured. Her eyes were looking warm, her smile comforting. My eyelids fluttered; I leaned on the arm of the chair. "Estas solo! Vamos, vamos a dormir en mi casa. Muy calido alli."

She just invited me to her house. She wanted me to stay with her, sleep at her house where it was warm and cozy. Her eyes drilled into mine and I almost collapsed in exhaustion. Something in my head told me she was putting me under a trance with her milky eyes, but I was too intrigued in them to care.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I mean, si! Please, I am so . . . tired . . ."

The lady smiled and hoisted me up, handing me her cane to lean on. She snatched my Hippy Sack and limped out the door, waiting for me. I stumbled along, apologizing groggily to the people I knocked into.

After staggering on the roads for awhile, we finally reached a rotting building with a door with peeling paint and many floors. A Spanish apartment building, unlike the ones I was used to.

We took the wooden stairs up to the fifth floor and stood in front of a rusty metal door. The woman unlocked it and pulled me in, grabbing a blanket from her sofa and wrapping it around me. I realized just how cold I was.

Just a few minutes later, I was tucked into a bed with patterned quilts laden over me, a stiff pillow under my head. I waited until the woman brought me a cup of tea, forcing me to drink it. I daintily sipped it, until it was completely gone and I was begging for more. The lady shook her head.

"Ve a dormir, mi dulce," she whispered. Go to sleep. And I did. I stayed asleep, too.

Until I woke up from a loud thought from Angel: _Get away! You're in the house of the devil!_

~*~*~*

I know it's not my greatest chapter, but I need reviews in order to keep writing! Get all your friends to come and read so I can get 15 reviews, or I won't update until then. Trust me, I will do it.

DO MY FREAKING POLL, PEOPLE!!!

Luv,

JB!


	8. Apologies

To my readers:

I am terribly sorry for not updating in so long. The reason is because I have only received four reviews… and didn't I say that I must get ten reviews before I updated again? Exactly. So YOU, the reader, are the one to blame in this situation.

Also, I would like to apologize for saying that Max is in the house of the devil in the last chapter. I was going out of line. Max is REALLY in the house of the boss of the ITEX in Europe. So, again, please accept my apology on that one.

What will also make me review more is if I get more people to complete my poll. So, if you want to see what happens to Max, Fang, and the gang, then please tell all your friends about me and to comment The F is a F. Not to mention to do my poll. That's right; YOU get to decide who I KILL. Even if I do want Fang to die (DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD?!) I will still kill the person that the majority of my fans picked.

This is JonasBabe12, and I want YOU to vote, comment, and spread the word about me!

Over and Out,

JB!


	9. A Blissfully Sweet Mistake

Oh my freakin' good gracious! Is it that hard for you to just give me 10 reviews? _10?!_ Is it really _that _hard?! GOSH!

So, needless to say, I am very upset. Ticked off. Mad. Whatever you want to label "anger," that's how I feel. I asked for 10 reviews, like, a month ago and I only got 8. Sure, I could wait to update, but what would that do for my reputation? So, I will be updating today, and I better get 10 reviews this time. AND I need more people to do my poll. Do you want me to just not kill anyone? Right now, only 11 people have voted for Lissa to die and, trust me, I would enjoy finding a way to kill her. But no one? No way, that's just boring. It makes for a bad plot.

Anyways, I received an anonymous review that stated I was saying to you guys, "I'm not getting enough reviews oh no I'm the worst person in the world." Honestly? Do you feel the need to say this, anonymous? It's really rude, and have I ever once said I was the worst person in the world? No. So just shut up and read the freakin' story.

Disclaimer: Yada, yada, yada, I don't own Maximum Ride, but I'm already over halfway through with FANG! Yay!

~*~*~*

Fang POV

It's just another day. The sun was sinking behind the black clouds rolling around in the sky above the Main House. Rain poured down outside, drowning the grass and tulips and soaking the concrete steps leading to the front door. A danger zone.

Just five minutes ago, we were all laughing and joking about what would happen of Gazzy farted on a bomb and whether or not it would explode when Angel became still and she sat up super straight. Her face became an empty mask . . . until she started wailing. I held her, confused, while she soaked my white t-shirt in salty tears. I asked her what was wrong, but all did was cry harder.

Suddenly, she started to blubber, "Max . . . trouble . . . night time in Spain . . . old lady . . . Itex . . . help!"

All I needed to hear was "Max" and "trouble" and I was on my feet, scrambling for the door . . .

Then it began to rain.

Like I said, just another day where everything is okay then suddenly turns bad.

Now, the whole Flock, Mom, and Ella were huddled in a mass in the living room, devising a plan to find Max and bring her back for good.

"No, no. I think we should contact the Marines again to send backup over to Spain to help bring down Itex," Nudge argued after Iggy proposed we fly over and bombard the whole country. "I mean, we're just _kids_."

"But," Mom chimed in. "We don't even know where Max _is._"

"Seville," Angel said. Her face was all screwed up. She was concentrating on Max's thoughts.

Mom beamed. "Perfect! Now that we know the name of the city, we just need to take a look around. I am very familiar with it, being from Spain, so that's an advantage on our part."

No one said anything. We didn't think about bringing Mom with us.

At that moment, I realized I really wanted some comfort. I didn't like how we all had to team up to save the _leader_ of the Flock; it was totally wrong. I needed to find someone to talk to, someone who I always felt comfortable with . . .

"Guys," I said. "I'm going upstairs real fast. To check on Lissa."

Without an answer, I stood and began to ascend the stairs. My pace quickened when I realized Lissa would probably be a wreck after all this time, thinking I loved her back.

As I approached her door, I heard sappy love music coming from the other side. Imagine the stupidest Taylor Swift song. Now multiply the stupidity by ten . . . that's how sappy it was. Oh, God.

For at least five minutes, I couldn't decide if I should knock or not. The song ended, and another began. I finally decided to walk in.

The bed was not made, and the walls that were once empty had pictures and posters and ribbons taped to them. One photo showed me and Lissa at the beach. She had taken it of us herself, so it was a little lopsided, but I could still remember the moment exactly. I was kissing her cheek and she was smiling at me from the corner of her eye.

A ribbon tied in a big bow was draped over a collage of hearts, each one with a zig-zag line down the middle, making them broken. A small wallet-sized picture of us was in the center.

I turned to the other side of the room where the bed and bathroom was. An iPod Touch was blaring music from an iHome on the bedstand with a teal lamp. The bedspread was bright pink; the pillows were a cream color. A box filled with letters rested beside it, each one a letter I sent her from the road. Whenever I was alone and the rest of the Flock busy, I had written her a letter and brought it to the nearest post office. Max never knew.

Slowly walking across the floor, I found Lissa in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. She was slathering dark purple eye shadow on her lids, coal back eye liner and mascara already applied. A large case was set on the counter, wide open to reveal a rack of gothic make up.

Lissa noticed me while putting on a coat of lip gloss. She dropped the tube and spun around.

"Nick!" she exclaimed. "What . . . what are you doing up here?"

I didn't know what to say to that. I mean, what _was _I doing here?

I sighed. "I just . . . wanted to see you, I guess."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Yeah, well, I'm not ready for guests." She gestured to her apparel. A baggy t-shirt and tattered jeans.

"Well, you look better than Nudge did just yesterday." Lissa laughed, but I think she was confused as to who Nudge was. I remembered that when we lived with Anne and went to Lissa's school, we never used the name "Nudge" for, well, Nudge.

Lissa put down her lip gloss and tucked some hair behind her ear.

I scratched my arm. She rubbed the back of her neck. Then she wrung her shirt, giving me a wave of déjà vu. I began to laugh.

"What?" Lissa asked, beginning to laugh along, even though she had no idea what was so funny.

I staggered to the bed and plopped down, breaking down into hysterics.

"Remember the time when . . . we were on the pier . . . then we both . . . fell in?" I stuttered through my laughs. My breath came out in huffs. "Then, when we crawled out of the ocean . . . and you tried to get dry . . . we both fell in a sand dune?"

By now we were both cracking up, rolling around next to each other on the pink bed. I stopped laughing abruptly when I remembered the reason we fell off of the pier was because we had been leaning into each other to kiss. Same thing on the dune; when she was in a huff about getting wet, I had pulled her chin up to look into my eyes, then I had leaned in, but we had stumbled over each other and fallen into the sand.

Lissa must've remembered, too, because she sat back up and was staring at me intently. Another song began to play, this one slow and acoustic. Lissa looked over her shoulder at the iHome, then back at me. I noticed tears in her eyes. I wanted to comfort her, like she had comforted me while we stayed with Anne. I flashed back to the night when I helped her sneak into the house, when Max and the Flock were asleep. We had spent the night together, all cuddled in the cold air, rubbing arms and kissing.

I began to smile, remembering those sweet times, when Lissa broke me out of my reverie. I thought of how beautiful she was, like how I had always thought she was the most gorgeous thing in the world . . .

"Nick, to you love Max? A lot?" she murmured.

I was quiet. I wanted to feel comforted by her, not be forced to think about Max. I knew what she wanted to hear, and I knew what she would do when she heard it. I decided to just tell her.

"Y . . . well . . . no," I mumbled. I couldn't believe I had just lied about the past year, about how Max and I were getting married, how I really did love her. But I did, and I had to deal with what came next.

Lissa leaned in, until out foreheads were touching and out noses brushed. Closer, closer . . . then she kissed me.

I felt her soft lips move under mine, and soon realized her lip gloss was watermelon flavored. The truth was, I liked it. And I wasn't talking about the lip gloss flavor.

I caught myself kissing her back. Her hands tangled in my now shaggy hair, and my hands clutched her back. _Stop,_ I told myself. _You're going to find Max, you two will get married, and everything will be swell._

I just couldn't get myself to really believe those words, and I pulled Lissa closer. I flashed back to everything we did together: our first night together in bed, the many days at the beach, when we shared a soda together and ended up walking in the park, holding hands together.

Thinking of all these things made me want Lissa more. I forgot Max for those minutes. Pulling back, we gasped for breath and I pushed her back against a pillow. Hovering over her, I kissed her neck.

"Nick," she breathed. "I . . . love you."

I stopped and sat up. What was I doing? I loved Max! Lissa wasn't supposed to be mine, Max was! Yet, I didn't stop Lissa as she closed her door, turned off the light, and fell onto the bed, pulling me with her.

She went back to my lips, entwining her fingers through mine. My arms were above my head and she pulled mine and hers together in between us. I continued to kiss her back. Disgusted with myself, I swear I felt her tongue in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I've kissed Max like that before, but never felt so jolted like I did now.

I yanked Lissa closer and felt her fingers draw circles on my back. Thinking back on the conversation, I answered her.

"I love you, too, Lissa," and I continued my share of bliss.

~*~*~*

AHHH! How unexpected was THAT, fellow writers?! Now THAT better get me 10 reviews! Now do you want Lissa to die? Or kill off Max to keep Fang and Lissa together? Poll! Review! Please!!!


	10. Nothing Good At All

Hey readers! Yes, I know, I haven't updated in forever. I promise, I'll get better at that LOL. Maybe I was just building the suspense . . . or maybe I just had no idea what to write. Yep, I think that one's it.

So. I was reading over my reviews (I got 9!!!) and I realized something: you all either want Fang to die, or Lissa killed. So, make up your mind by doing my poll?

As you may have noticed, I changed my username to JustinBaberchic. So make sure to remember that's my new name.

I have FINALLY figured out what to write next, so I hope it meets your expectations!

Lissa POV

I blink my eyes open as my iHome's alarm goes off. 8:15.

I'm curled in a ball at the far edge of my bed that's pressed against the wall. My cheek is squished against the warm plaster.

Rolling over, I stretch my arms out wide. The knuckles of my left hand smack against a nose. Without looking over, I make my hand travel down to a neck, then a bare chest, down to the soft material of a pair of Bermuda shorts. Finally sitting up, I remember everything. I grin at Nick's soft, sleeping face.

Getting up softly, I maneuver into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I turn away to dig around in my bathroom cabinets. My makeup had rubbed off all over my eyelids and cheeks. I keep looking through my loads of crap in my under-the-sink cabinet. My breath is caught in my throat when my fingertips brush against cold metal.

Nick will probably never know that if he hadn't ventured into my room last night, I would've committed suicide. I kind of figured that what's the use to live when everything was a lie? Nicky didn't love me (atleast, that's what I thought until last night) and I was mentally lost. Why was I here? What was I doing? I was trapped in a stranger's house for over a month, wondering what the heck I should do.

For a long time, I just watched sappy movies, like "The Notebook", in the gloriously HUGE TV room. But then, I truly noticed how different everything was around me. Miss. Martinez seemed like a vacant body, Nick had changed his whole appearance, and the other kids were getting skinnier and their faces started to shape around their cheek bones.

I decided to change myself after I saw all this. My mom had started to call every day, asking about the wedding that would never happen. She got more and more frustrated every time I said, "No, Mom, the wedding hasn't happened yet," or, "No, I have no idea what kind of flowers will be put in the vases."

After a while, I moved out of the TV room and rolled by coach suitcases into this guestroom. At first, it was bland, but I moved some furniture around to create the place I wanted. Then I got to the _real _work.

One of my suitcases was used only for pictures of me and Nick. They were photos we took ourselves, some taken by my parents before the school dance, and the rest were taken by strangers. One was at the carnival, where we asked another couple to take a picture with my digital camera of me and Nick in front of the ferris wheel. That one was my favorite.

Starting every morning at 8:15, I shifted through every single picture, trying to find one that didn't show us so happy or cheerful. I was trying to prove to myself that we were never good together, but I knew we were. And I still know that we're meant to be.

Anyways, I created billions of collages of the two of us, crying with every piece of tape I stuck on and with each *snip* of the scissors. Not long after, I found a small gun in the silverware drawer in the Martinez's kitchen. An orange sticky note was stuck on that read, "Emergencies Only," but I figured that no one needed it.

Shaking my head of the memories, I shoved the pistol to the farthest corner of my cabinet and snatched my make up remover. As I cleaned every part of my face, I heard Nick rustle around on my stiff bed. Smiling to myself, I put down my hair straightener I had been using and poofed up my long locks. I spun once out of the bathroom.

"Good morning," I said softly. "Hungry at all?"

Nick rubbed his eyes, stood, and stretched, practically bending all the way over. He flashed a bright smile, something he hadn't done since he started changing, making me shiver. He was so hot.

"Yeah," Nick answered. "Let's go down to the kitchen. I bet Ig . . . one of my brothers already made his famous banana nut pancakes."

I grabbed his wrist to stop him as he walked towards the door. "I thought you said that the other kids weren't your siblings," I questioned. "Didn't you tell me you guys _wanted _to be related?"

Something flashed across Nick's face that looked like pain. He pressed the palms of his hands against his forehead. He suddenly looked like a lonely, sad, depressed boy, desperate for his happiness back. He looked like every other kid roaming around these two houses.

"It's just . . . I mean . . ." he mumbled. "It's just . . . a really long story, okay?!"

I stepped back from him. He's never had an outburst like this.

"Beside, aren't we gonna eat?"

I smirked. "Actually, yes, I have some cold pizza stashed away in my bureau."

I padded over the hardwood floors, covered in scratches and marker smudges from my many collage days, and found one of my many boxes of Domino pizza. I had ordered a new box of a new flavor whatever night I got hungry. I got pepperoni the first night I moved into the guest room, but got bored, so I ordered a variety of pizzas each night. From sausage and egg to super-spicy toppings, I had it.

Pulling a random box, I handed a slice to Nick, and then took my own. We clinked the tips together with a giggle and dug in.

"Mmmmm," Nick sighed. "Pineapple and maraschino cherries make an amazing combination!"

I nodded my head in agreement and dragged him to my bed. We sat down together, leaning against one another.

Wiping away the grease from my lips, I stared at Nick's face and cocked my head.

"Hey," I said. "I was just wondering, but . . . what made you come up here last night?"

He stuffed the pizza crust in his mouth and shook away the crumbs. "Everything was real hectic downstairs, what with . . . yeah, so, I just got uncomfortable."

I scrunched up my eyebrows. "Why don't you talk about Max? You always avoid anything about her, like her name, or anything she liked. It's like she never existed to you."

"She might as well have never been born," he muttered under his breath and placed his head in his hands. Placing a hand on his knee, I feel a soft tear dribble onto my skin. I yanked my hand away.

Finally, it dawned on me.

Jumping up, I screamed, "You're madly in love with her! Even though that's true, you still decided to just strut up here and . . ."

"STOP!" Nick yelled back. "I know what I did! But I was lonely, and sad, and I just needed some assistance!"

"By what, vacuuming my tonsils?" I shrieked.

"UGH!" he threw his hands up in the air. "Lissa, I was never in love with you! Ever! You have this . . . aura about you, and it makes me feel better. The only reason I stayed around you was because you make me feel better."

My jaw drops. I was wrong. Narrowing my eyes, my vision blurred with tears, I snatch a picture frame with that photo of us at the carnival. I throw it as hard as I can at my collages.

With fire in his eyes, Nick slams my bedroom door behind him. He had swept out of my room so fast, I barely noticed the lanes of salty water slipping down his cheeks.

Angel POV

I bolt up in bed, sweat dripping down my face. Gasping for air, I tumble out of bed and crawl into a corner. It was precisely 9:03 in the morning, and I was having another brain wash.

These brain washes aren't exactly what you think. I just have flashes of a million memories dash through my brain, along with other things I've heard in people's heads. The School, the Flock, and other things make me dizzy until I collapse over.

Finally, after a few grueling minutes, I stand up and search for Max's thoughts. I haven't stopped looking for them since she left 42 days ago. Finally, I got something.

_Angel, Angel, I can't get out of this place! Every time I try to sneak out of the house, the old lady stares into my eyes and makes me drowsy all over again. Then she gives me the tea and I fall asleep!_

_Max, yeah, I know, Nudge broke into another Itex website and found out a lot of stuff._

_Like what?_

Putting the thoughts on hold, I find my print-outs from the Itex website, wedged between my floorboards.

_Okay, Max, so this old lady is actually only disguised that way. She's Europe's best Itex spy, and her hypnotizing eyes are only ONE of her powers._

_Powers?_

_Long story. Stay safe!_

Rubbing my temples from my now-natural headaches, I pull of my sweats and yank on my favorite pair of jean shorts. I pair that with a green v-neck. Slipping on some kitten-heels, I stomp downstairs and across the lawn to the main house.

Walking right in, I made my way to the kitchen and find the leftover bacon and toast Iggy made for breakfast. Munching on as much as I could, I realize how quiet it is. With a quizzical look on my face, I wander into the living room.

Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, Ella, and "mom" sit dismally on the sofa and loveseat. They all stare at the ground, their backs hunched over.

"Um . . . what happened exactly?" I ask, putting a hand on my hip.

Looking up at me sadly, Ella whispers, "Fang stormed down the stairs and left. He went after Max. By himself."

I faint. My last thought is: _He's gonna get killed._

So, how was it? Huh? HUH? HUH???!!!! I am dead serious when I say that I need you to comment and do my poll. Thanks!

JBc!


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